Book 1 Chapter Eight Part 2: Edfu

Ancient City of Edfu

Horus made his travel to Egypt, having passed by Israel, Horus first found a messenger of Min's Mediterranean fleet to inform him, why he is not able to become an officer within his fleet, at least for now, which is to retrieve the body of his father.

Horus, unlike Lucifer and Diana is a good businessman, he is a trader and like all trader he knows how to create a profit using what he got. Having been working in the fleet of Min, Horus got a good understanding towards what each town need, but doesn't produce what other town produce it, so he purchase good from one town, to be sold at a higher price at another town, then purchase goods from that town at low price, to be sold at another town for higher price. Horus kept a low profile, about his trade activity, he needs to do that if he wants to avoid paying tax, because the tax rate is far too high. On the road, Horus saw beggars and those who died of starvation, due to the high tax rate, yet, the grand storage of the government, got more food than what they know to do with. Horus first seek information on the locations of the fourteen pieces of Osiris' body. Before he prepares to make his move.

Today Horus is on his way to the city of Edfu, on his way, Horus came across a group of cannibals, they want to eat Horus, each of them looked as if they had been starving for days, with nothing to eat. Horus understand these people has been pushed to the brink, due to starvation, otherwise, they won’t do something like this. However, Horus need to protect himself, the eight cannibals attack, Horus grabbed his staff and quickly killed them. This staff is an Amazonian design, one tip of the staff is made sharp, so the weapon can be used both as a staff and a short lance. Horus is not proud of himself. He doesn’t enjoy the killing and every time he kills a cannibal it just made him angrier at the government of Seth.

At the gate of Edfu, Horus saw eight people that already been hung to death, hung upon the city wall, as a warning from Seth’s Prefect to those who are not able to pay their minimum amount of tax. On both sides of the city’s streets there are people begging for food and some that are starving to death. The people in the city, walked passed them, there are too many homeless and people starving to death, they cannot afford to help them, plus, if they show them too much compensation, Seth might further increase tax on them, on the grounds that “If you have enough food to spare, to help the starving and dying, you can afford to pay more tax to serve your pharaoh” and it is the law of Seth that says those who refuse to serve the will of Seth’s above all else, is evil, hence doing too much to help the poor, while having that sort of resource to offer Seth, might even enraged Seth’s wrath.

While the poor are starving to death, the wealthy are getting wealthier, by swearing their loyalty to Seth. Not all of these people are truly loyal to Seth, some only submit their loyalty to Seth for their own survival. The soldiers’ wife and children live with luxury gold, while the people starve. There are soldiers that are kind at heart and while his family got much riches from Seth, due to being a soldier of Seth, in secret he let his wife, give wheat to the poor. Horus came to the marketplace, the poor might be getting poorer, but the rich are getting wealthier.

Horus met in secret with his contact. “Valuable herb, can’t be purchased, anywhere else.” Horus said, he showed a box of herb that is precious for the beauty of women’s skin. Horus deal with the rich and privilege.

The husband of the household was delighted. “Quick take out the payment.” He said, six beautiful bronze swords and in addition to that, twenty bags of wheat.

“I don’t know how you get it, but I like your style kid. You keep working for me this way, there is a bright future for you.” The husband said

Horus smiled, later that day Horus return to his inn and at night he changed into a set of black cloth. Horus traveled the rooftops. He was as quiet as a mouse and arrived to the top of the government tax storage facility. Horus sneaked passed the guards, as if they are nothing, he attacked the two guards that are guarding the gate of the facility from behind knocking them out and then, he enters. He took many bags of wheat and left. The facility got so much wheat, nobody would know that some are missing and the guard been knocked out, would fear the punishment, they won’t dare to say anything.

Horus traveled the rooftop and secretly threw many bags of wheat, to the starving homeless.

Return of the Condor Heroes an original novel written in 1959 talk about Dragon Girl an orphan young girl that was trained to become an elite warrior, on her 18 birthday took in a 13 years old boy Yang Gau also an orphan to be her apprentice. Five years later, the two of them fall in love and become the unlikely heroes against the invading Mongol army. It is just interesting how a novel written in mid 20th century China bare such similar to the story of Lucifer and Diana according to Roman mythology. (An interesting fact is that, despite there are no mention of Dragon Girl's ethnicity, the mention within the book, very much resemble Europeans, where during that time in history, the Mongols already conquer 1/3 of Europe and European was been taken back to Mongolia as slaves, especially European royalties)